1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic livestock head splitter of simple yet highly effective construction which has numerous advantages including the ability to split livestock heads at a rapid rate, with a minimum of operator involvement and power requirements, while at the same time protecting selected internal portions within the head from laceration. More particularly, it is concerned with an automatic livestock head splitter having a supporting frame, a circular rotatable blade carried by the frame that includes a peripheral cutting edge with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart notches, a plurality of head-supporting means or platens moveably supported by the frame and connected together in serial order, a prime mover, and a power drive for connecting the prime mover, rotatable blade, and platens for movement of the platens and rotation of the blade in synchronism such that the cutting edge of the blade will split a head carried by a platen while at the same time preventing laceration of selected internal portions within the head by receipt of such portions within an adjacent notch of the blade.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several of the internal organs of livestock heads are valuable commodities. In particular, the brain is edible, and the pituitary gland of the hog, for instance, is used in the production of insulin. Extraction of internal organs from the skull of an animal must be accomplished by splitting the head in such a manner that the internal organs are not lacerated or otherwise damaged.
Conventional apparatus for the splitting of livestock heads employ a reciprocating blade that includes a notch in the cutting edge for receipt of the head's internal organs therein. U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,673 to Neubauer, for instance, discloses a generally rectangular blade that is reciprocated in an up and down fashion while butchered and trimmed livestock heads are shifted to a cutting position beneath the blade. Previous head splitters, however, require considerable operator involvement and relatively high power requirements, and are characterized by their relatively slow rate of operation. For example, conventional hog head splitters employing a reciprocating blade may require as many as three operators and power requirements in the range of 10-20 horsepower to process only about 1,200 heads per hour. An automatic livestock head splitter that is operable with a minimum of operator involvement, requires a minimum of power requirements and is capable of splitting heads at an increased rate would therefore be a decided advantage.